Review by chrisc7249 on April 19, 2022.

This whole atmospheric technical death metal thing is really getting out of hand, in a good way. Seems like every turn you make, a new band playing this style of technical death metal appears. First, it was spearheaded by bands like Fallujah, Rivers Of Nihil, Virvum, Black Crown Initiate… all of a sudden the scene is bustling with bands like Burial In The Sky, Caecus, The Scalar Process, Proliferation, Target, Krosis, among many, many more unheralded names that have followed these atmospheric tendencies tightly. Xenobiotic is one of the new bands in this ever growing scene, this being only their second album, and let's say they've made quite a name for themselves with this album, which sees the band blending groovy Decapitated-like riffs with deathcore tinged, atmospheric tech death in the vein of Fallujah.

This album didn't take very long to click for me, which is a good thing. It's easy to get caught up listening to an album 15, 20 times before you start to get a grasp of what's actually going on. This is partially due to the fact that Mordrake isn't necessarily the most technical of technical death metal. You're definitely not going to be blown away by immaculate musicianship (though the musicianship on here is more than good enough.) I feel like, for Xenobiotic, this is a plus because it makes for a more easily accessible tech death album without being *too* soft and poppy.

I emphasize the "too" because Mordrake is certainly on the poppier end of death metal. There's clean vocals, simpler song structures, djent and deathcore influences as well as ambient parts to help you calm down when it does become too aggressive. This is the kind of tech death you play for your buddy that thinks he likes metal, but he really just likes the top 1% of bands in terms of popularity. Your buddy will still probably cringe, but even he will have some moments where he's nodding his head along to what's going on.

Now, if you play this for your other friend and she's a metal elitist, she might not be too thrilled with what you're playing her. She might scoff at you and call you some sort of poser or hipster and equates the music to simple cash grabbing social media background music. I can live with either assessment from both of my friends, I'm not going to cry my eyes out because it's too heavy for the average Joe but too dumbed down for the metal extremist. It is true, after all; it's a weird middle ground straddling between heavy and intense and melancholic and accessible.

If you're looking for groovy tech death that isn't afraid to be slightly radio friendly, you're in the right place. I know that doesn't sound appealing to most readers, but hey, there's a small minority of people out there that may be intrigued by such a description. It's a good album! Just don't expect something that's too abrasive.

FFO: Fallujah, Rivers Of Nihil, Soreption

Favorite song: Saphris

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 3, 2020.

Xenobiotic perform a very interesting take on progressive death metal that has some slight deathcore influences thrown in.  They have a neat style that is original and very powerful.  The introduction of deathcore influences makes them even more punishing than they would be otherwise.  There are a ton of interweaving passages of majestic progressive death metal bliss here, but they are broken up by the deathcore moments that are so much more powerful than on releases by bands only in that genre.  The combination of sounds makes for a compelling concoction that is one of the best things I’ve heard from the metal genre this year.  It’s still not perfect because the band could be tighter and perform songs a little better, but this is still high quality stuff for certain. 

There is a feeling that the band are putting their best foot forward and crafting some truly unique and involving music.  It manages to push the death metal genre in new directions that are very interesting indeed.  If the songs were a little more consistent, this would be an even more consuming collection.  Still, this is an uncompromising collection of songs that hits interesting notes time and time again even though it isn’t as consistent as it could be.  Fans of bands like Decapitated and Cryptopsy will find a lot to like here as will most death metal fans in general.  The guitar riffs on this album are deadly and have a powerful impact to them.  It is this aspect that is most compelling of all the instruments present.  The drumming is still very solid as well. 

All in all, the band comes together to craft something that is truly mind-bending and worthy of your attention.  Mordrake gets a high recommendation to fans of progressive death metal, but most metal fans should find something to like here.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10